Sri LankaSPRING 2010 COUNTRY REPORT

It has been a truly amazing season here at Free The Children and we could not have done it without all of your wonderful support. Changing the world is no simple feat. It requires the hard work and passion of change makers like you!

Not only are you helping build vital development projects, you are empowering the community members of Sri Lanka with the tools and resources they need to become agents of change in their own communities. Together, we can build a brighter future so that all children can grow up to be happy, healthy and active citizens!

Sri Lanka COUNTRY REPORT

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Sri LankaSri Lanka is a small, tear-shaped island located south east of India. Sri Lanka gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1948 and became a republic in 1972. Ever since, there has been a long history of conflict and civil war. The war has been fought mainly between the Sinhalese government and the Tamil rebels. As host to one of the world’s longest-running civil wars, parts of Sri Lanka have been left devastated, with thousands of civilians displaced and many killed. The government’s military spending during this time was especially high, which meant that there were few public resources dedicated to providing education and essential social and health services to the people. In May 2009, Sri Lanka’s government declared an official end to its 26-year civil war. This announcement hopefully provides the country with the political stability it needs to allow for effective and sustainable socio-economic development.

High levels of poverty, especially in the rural areas, have meant that many children drop out of school to work and provide their families with income. Currently there are more than 900,000 Sri Lankan children involved in child labour. Thousands of them (estimates range from 50,000 to 100,000) are believed to be employed in domestic service –an industry which remains unregulated and undocumented. As well, commercial fishing is one of the most popular and destructive forms of child la-bour in Sri Lanka. Children are recruited to remote commercial fishing spots (commonly known as ‘vaadiyas’) where they are kept in conditions of virtual slavery.

Free the Children started working in Sri Lanka in 2004 after that year’s devastating tsunami. In fact, we were one of the first organizations on the ground re-building schools and creating a sense of normalcy amongst children. Our Adopt-A-Village projects in Sri Lanka focus on repairing and rebuilding schools destroyed in the tsunami, as well as establishing new devel-opment initiatives, like clean water wells and alternative income projects. Following years of civil war and tsunami devasta-tion, Sri Lanka has begun to rebuild itself and lift its people from poverty and exploitation.

Classrooms built: 8Students: 515Teachers: 25Clean water systems built: 500Hand washing stations built: 3 Latrines built: 9Women in microcredit program: 115

Free The Children in Sri Lanka Impact at a Glance:

Sri Lanka COUNTRY REPORT

ADOPT A VILLAGEEducationIn Sri Lanka, Free The Children schools have seen consis-tently high attendance rates and student involvement as the quality of education increases and more classrooms are built. The community of Thalahena celebrated the completion of four new classrooms with an opening ceremony on May 5, 2010. Students are excited to learn and study in the new, spacious and well-ventilated build-ings. In addition, the 12 female and 4 male teachers are motivated to constantly nurture and educate their stu-dents. Because of the improved facilities, more parents in the community are encouraging their children to attend school as they see it as a new beginning for their sons and daughters.

In Palangathurai, another community where Free The Children built a school last year, the students were in-volved in the design of their new school, including the

large bright windows and the selection of the colours of the building. They are happy to be learning in classrooms which are bright, roomy and safe. The parent-teacher com-mittee is also actively involved in the maintenance and care of the school, which has created a real sense of ownership within the community. Through this same committee the nine female teachers are encouraging parents to send their daughters to school and are raising awareness about the importance of girls completing a full course of primary edu-cation. Today in the community there are an equal number of male and female students attending class! Students and teachers take great pride in their school and have deco-rated classrooms with their art work. Free The Children is working in partnership with parents, students and teachers as all groups work actively to improve education for all of the children in each of these communities.

At Thalahena School we encourage education for both boys and girls!

Students from Thalahena School learning and

having fun in a brand new classroom!

Sri Lanka COUNTRY REPORT

ADOPT A VILLAGE

Water and SanitationDue to the long history of civil unrest in Sri Lanka, the government’s over-spending on defense has been a detri-ment to the country’s general popula-tion, particularly in rural areas like the communities where Free The Children works. Decreased investment in social sectors such as water and sanitation has left people without basic services. To address these challenges and to im-prove the standard of living of Sri Lanka’s most vulnerable communities, Free The Children has been working to build la-trines, hand-washing stations and clean water systems. Having an adequate number of latrines in schools is instru-mental in ensuring that girls continue with their education. In the community of Palagathurai, three new latrines have been built for the community’s schools. The community of Thalahena has seen six latrines built for their new schools, as well as three hand-washing stations. One of the most exciting projects has been providing 500 clean water sys-tems to family homes, which was com-pleted early last year in the community of Sea Street. Clean water and regular hand-washing are a necessary and ef-fective means of reducing preventable disease in the communities in which we work.

Alternative IncomeFree The Children works in communi-ties where fishing is the primary source of income. However, recent govern-ment restrictions which limit access to fishing grounds have led to the loss of livelihoods and an increase in poverty levels. Sri Lankans have also seen a rise in the cost of basic food items, meaning that families are often forced to forego essential food items. Women and chil-dren are most affected. They not only consume foods which lack vital nutri-ents and minerals but also often find themselves eating “last and least.”

To improve these conditions, Free The Children’s alternative income program work with women in the communities of Kudapaduwa and Sea Street, mak-ing an incredibly positive impact on their families income and well-being. One-hundred-and-fifteen women have been provided with micro-credit loans, allowing them to start, diversify and expand their own businesses. The ob-jective of this program is to enable eco-nomic empowerment for women and nurture greater gender equality. The women of Kudapaduwa have a 100% repayment rate and based on their suc-cess, the women of Sea Street are now

beginning the same program this year. The businesses started by these women include dry fish making and packing, cake-making, tailoring, petty trading, grocery shops, food processing and hairdressing. Women also receive financial literacy training as well as skills training specific to their chosen busi-ness.

Since joining the program, the aver-age incomes of program participants have soared from $50 a month to $300 a month! In 2009, the women of Ku-dapaduwa also established their own bank, called the Livelihood Develop-ment Bank, the motto of which is “Em-powering Women to Build Sustainable Livelihoods.” The women are able to access and pay back loans through this bank. They also receive 7% interest on their savings deposits – a rate that is higher than any government or com-mercial bank. They are empowered by their newfound economic indepen-dence and by the significant accom-plishments they have made, and they are thrilled to share the benefits with their families and the wider community.

Sri Lanka COUNTRY REPORT

A WORLD OF IMPACT

Meet Susewge Nirasha Rekani FernandoEleven-year-old Susewge attends Free The Children’s new-est school in Sri Lanka, in the community of Thalahena. Her mother is a homemaker, her father a mason and she is proud to be a role model to her seven-year old sister Nishalka. Ev-ery morning Susewge wakes up early and eats bread for breakfast before she heads to her brand new school, where

she is in grade 6. She said of her new school, “The new buildings are so beautiful and they en-courage me to learn!” She particularly loves learn-ing about religions. She is working hard at her studies and is happy to see herself improving all the time, especially in her Tamil language class because she finds it to be the most chal-lenging. After school is done for the day she helps her family with chores, such as sweeping, watering plants, cooking with her mother and collecting water from a nearby well. Her fa-vourite thing about being at home is being with her mother whom she loves very much. She also loves spending time with her best friend Mithin because she is kind-hearted. Of all the people in the world, her hero is her teacher Dilrushki

because the woman loves all of her students and teaches them knowledge every day. For fun she loves gardening and playing badminton. Nothing is as delightful to Susewge as when her family gathers to celebrate. She especially loves eating cake!

This thoughtful, compassionate girl has many dreams for the future. Seeing the poverty around her, Susewge has re-solved to earn a good living as a strong young woman so that she can build a better life for her family, herself and her community. Some of her goals are simpler; she would love new clothes and a bicycle for her and her family, but above all, she wants the world to end fighting and for every child to know happiness. She wishes that she could bring peace to everyone and she believes that for this to come about ev-erybody needs to listen to one another. To play her part in finding peace she wants very much to be a teacher and she is incredibly grateful to Free The Children for the opportunity to have an education. She knows that she needs to stay in school and study to achieve the wonderful aspirations that she has for herself and for the world.

Susewge dreams of becoming a teacher so that she can educate her

community about peace